Elation
by Shaynezo
Summary: Sometimes the one you're supposed to be with has been right in front of you this whole time. Aria/Hanna.


Soo, this is a Hanna/Aria (Haria) one-shot. They're so cute, I had to write about them. I couldn't help it. I started to get into the paring, and then I read some fics and they did for me - they're perfection. Who am I kidding? I ship all of the girls together. Not so much Spemily anymore, but how can anyone deny that the four of them have oodles of chemistry?

Hanna and Aria are golden. Excuse any typos in this, I threw this together pretty quickly and it's late. As always, review, review, review!

* * *

"I think I'm going to go outside and kill myself with a rock. A sharp rock."

"Hanna."

"Aria."

It had been two weeks since Caleb had left Rosewood - and Hanna - behind to live in California. For good. Two weeks since Hanna had last been out of her room. Spencer, Emily and Aria had visited Hanna every day since then. Well, Aria had. Spencer and Emily had tried to, but both girls had gotten slammed with double practices. Aria was supposed to be persuading Hanna to go out to dinner, but had so far only succeeded in allowing the blond to rest her head in her lap. "Why won't you go out to dinner with me? Is it because I'm a girl and people might think we're on a date?" Aria teased.

Hanna laughed. "No, it's because you're dressed like a blind prostitute."

Aria gasped and pushed Hanna off her. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

Hanna let out a disbelieving snort. "You're wearing a ruffled skirt as a top, under a pair of mitchmatched leggings, and -"

"Mix-matched, Hanna. The term is mix-matched, not mitchmatched."

Hanna sighed. "Whatever. Anyway, you're wearing _mix-matched _leggings and you have on these black hooker boots that went out of style a month ago. I just..don't like the way you dress."

"That's a lot coming from a girl wearing old sweatpants." Aria retorted.

Hanna grumbled and got up, storming to her bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Aria called out after her.

"To take a shower."

"Why?"

"So you can wine n' dine me."

**_Forty-five Minutes Later_**

"Are you sure you don't want to try this?"

Hanna eyed Aria's plate of vegetarian lasagna. The two were in a restaurant just down the block from Hanna's house because the blond refused to go anywhere else. What if someone they knew saw her? Thankfully, for a Thursday night, the place was nearly empty.

"No thanks. That looks something like Lady Gaga vomited onto a plate and tossed into the microwave."

Aria rolled her eyes and stabbed her fork into her lasagna. "It's better than what you're eating," she murmured, gesturing towards Hanna's plate of cheese fries. "And healthier."

Hanna picked up a fry and popped it into her mouth. "So? Maybe I'm fattening myself up. It wouldn't be the first time." A small glob of cheese stuck to the corner of Hanna's mouth and Aria reached across the table with a napkin in her hand to wipe it off. Aria gently held Hanna's chin in her hand.

"Look at me."

Hanna forced herself to lock eyes with Aria. When she did, she felt her stomach swoop. Maybe it was just the grease from the fries?

"Hanna, you're beautiful. Caleb is an idiot because he didn't realize how special you are."

Hanna smiled softly. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

Aria let to go of Hanna's chin and sat back. The girls sat in silence for a minute. Aria had her fork halfway to her mouth when Hanna spoke. "Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"I lied earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"I love the way you dress."

_I got the feelin' I'm a-fallin'_

_Like a star up in the blue_

_Like I was fallin' off Niagara_

_In a paddle boat canoe_

_I got the feelin' I'm a-fallin'_

_And it's all because of you_.

* * *

"So, what are we watching?" Aria sat down next to Hanna and handed her a can of Coke before setting her own can down on the coffee table in front of them.

"I haven't decided yet. I thought we could choose together." Dinner with Aria had really helped Hanna. Hanna had come out of her shell again (slowly) and had started going back to school.

With Aria's help, she'd gotten caught up on her homework without too much hassle from their teachers. Now, another week had passed and the two girls were lounging in Hanna's living room, eating from a giant bowl of popcorn. Emily and Spencer were _supposed _to join them, but they had gotten stuck with double practices. Again. It seemed to be happening a lot lately. " How about something scary?" Hanna suggested, eating a small handful of popcorn. She set her can next to Aria's. "_Rosemary's Baby_?"

Aria grinned. "Yeah, that's a good one."

Hanna nodded and ordered the movie off of ON DEMAND. "Too bad Em isn't here. She loves scary movies."

Aria's lips twitched downwards. "I think we need to beat Spencer's and Emily's coaches for working them so hard."

Hanna toyed with a few bracelets around her wrist. One of them was silver and blue, a gift from Aria for her sixteenth birthday. "I don't think that's what they're doing."

Aria's eyes flickered from the TV to Hanna's face. Hanna had long, gorgeous blond hair and killer blue eyes. She was stunning. Caleb had definitely lost his mind when he'd dumped her.

"What do you mean?"

Hanna shrugged and stretched out on the couch. She rested her head in Aria's lap and put the bowl of popcorn on her own stomach. "Exactly what I said."

Aria smirked down at Hanna. "Comfy?"

"Yup."

Aria started to absentmindedly stroke Hanna's hair. It felt like silk underneath her fingertips. "If they aren't at practice, then what would they be doing?"

Hanna shushed Aria and pointed to the movie. "It's rude to talk during a movie, Ar."

"Bite me." Aria tried not to think about how seductive her voice had just sounded. Maybe Hanna hadn't noticed.

"Well, if you insist..."

Before Aria could move, Hanna grabbed the other girl's left hand gently nipped at her palm.

"Ow!" Aria squeaked, yanking her arm back and swatting Hanna with a throw pillow. "That hurt!"

"It was barely a nip! Next time don't tell me to bite you." Hanna replied cooly.

Aria rolled her eyes. _"_I didn't mean literally."

"Well, how was I supposed to know?"

Aria shifted. _What would happen if I told her to fuck me? Wait, why did I just think that? _

"...Whatever. Just watch the movie."

"Fine."

Hours later, Aria awoke with a start. The living room lights were out, but the TV was still on, the blue glare spilling over the two girls. The TV was halfway through another set of previews for movies from the main ON DEMAND screen, indicating the movie they'd been watching had ended. Aria glanced down at Hanna to see her sleeping. It was the first time in weeks that Aria had seen her look truly peaceful. Aria gently stroked Hanna's cheek. Her skin was baby-soft and smooth. Just then, Hanna stirred and Aria froze for just a second before quickly pulling her hand back. Hanna sat up sleepily and rubbed her eyes. "We fell asleep," she noted, squinting at the time on the cable box above the DVR machine.

Aria swallowed. "Yeah..."

Hanna stood up and yawned, offering her hand out to Aria. "Want to go to bed? It's pretty late." Aria turned off the TV with the remote and grasped onto Hanna's hand. It wasn't until later, when Aria was lying in Hanna's bed next to her sleeping form, did she realize Hanna hadn't let to of her hand until they were in her room. Aria snuck a peek at Hanna. There was a small smile on her lips and it made Aria smile. Suddenly, the only thing she could think about was whether or not Hanna would taste like Coke and popcorn if she kissed her.

_Like I was walkin' on a tight rope_

_Swingin' in the breeze_

_And though I tried to keep my balance_

_Well, I just weakened in the knees_

_I got the feelin' I'm a-fallin'_

_Lover, help me pleas_e.

* * *

"I just don't think I'll ever fall in love again."

Another week had flown by, and Hanna and Aria found themselves lazing around Aria's room. They had barely seen Spencer and Emily all day at school, except at lunch and in their classes. It was no surprise to them when their friends turned down another invitation to hang out. The girls were beginning to suspect something much more was going on with the headstrong Spencer and shy-but-sweet Emily.

"Sure you will."

"You're only saying that because you have Ezra."

Aria paused in stroking Hanna's hair. It was a gesture that she'd become so accustomed to doing that half the time she never realized she was doing it. And Hanna never complained about it.

"What?" Hanna asked, sitting up from her spot on Aria's bed. "Aria, what is it?"

Aria hesitated. "I'm thinking of breaking up with him," she blurted.

"_What?"_

Aria fiddled with her butterfly necklace. Its wings were gold and black and had tiny red gems outlining each wing. It had been a gift from Hanna once, and Aria would be lying if she said it wasn't her favorite piece of jewelry. "I...want up with him."

"Oh my God, Aria. _Why?" _Hanna yanked Aria into her arms and hugged her. Aria's hair smelled like coconuts and it made Hanna's stomach swarm with butterflies, much like the one around Aria's neck. _Shit. Please don't let this be happening. I can't be in love with Aria. I'm straight. Aren't I? _"I'm sorry, Aria. Why do you want to break up with him?"

Aria was lost in her own thoughts. Hanna smelled like sugar cookies, and the brunette sort of wanted to eat her. _Sugar cookies are my favorite, why did she have to use that lotion? Is she doing this on purpose? God, this is so messed up. I do not have feelings for Hanna. I don't. I'm straight. I think. _"I just...can't anymore," she whispered, the words catching in her throat and cracking on the last syllable.

Hanna nodded in understanding. She didn't miss the pain in Aria's voice and it made her heart ache. It felt like someone was pressing a hot coat onto her chest. "Do you want to talk about it?"

_Yes. _"No." Aria glided her fingers through Hanna's soft hair. The more time she spent with Hanna the better she felt. Hanna made her laugh and made her feel comfortable. Ezra just...didn't anymore. Whenever Aria kissed him, it didn't feel right and most of the time, she had to force herself to kiss him. That's not how a relationship was supposed to be.

Hanna released Aria and pulled back. The girls locked eyes; blue orbs meeting intense hazel irises. When she was this close, Hanna could see the speckles of gold in Aria's eyes and wondered if they'd always been there. A lock of Aria's wavy dark hair fell in front of her eyes and Hanna reached a hand out to tuck it back behind her ear. When her fingers daintily brushed over Aria's earlobe, a soft sigh unintentionally slipped past Aria's lips.

Both girls froze, Hanna's fingers resting on the lobe of Aria's ear. Hanna's whole body felt hot. Aria's felt like ice. Time seemed to slow down as the girls leaned closer to each other. At the very last second, before lips could meet, Hanna sprang back so fast she tumbled off the bed and onto the hardwood floor of Aria's room. The crashing sound brought Aria spiraling back into reality. "H-Hanna?"

Hanna clambered to her feet and adverted Aria's gaze. "I-I have to go. I have to...re-fiber my...calculator."

Aria's nose scrunched up. "That...that didn't make any sense."

But Hanna was already racing out Aria's bedroom door. She nearly collided with Mike who passing by. "S-Sorry," she gasped, skittering around him and trampling down the steps.

Mike stared after Hanna until she blitzed out the front door. _What was that about? _He jogged to his sister's room and poked hi head in. "What happened?"

Aria's eyes were locked onto her comforter. She felt so weak. She felt so high from her almost-moment with Hanna. Aria was cold and hot. She was angry and happy. Aria was so many things at once it was a wonder she wasn't collapsing into herself. "Nothing," she finally answered. "Nothing happened."

But she wished something had.

_Like a leaf falls from the branch_

_Like a rock slide avalanche_

_Like the rain on a stormy day_

_I never thought I'd fall this way_

* * *

Aria and Hanna avoided each other the best they could for the next few weeks. If Aria caught a glimpse of Hanna coming down the hall at school, she'd turn around, loop around a corner and disappear. Whenever Hanna spotted Aria in the cafeteria, she'd duck behind the salad bar and crouch there until Aria was gone, much to the annoyance of the workers and everyone around her. Spencer and Emily tried to talk to the two individually, but neither gave up any information. Eventually the two had to settle back into their own doings, leaving Aria and Hanna to themselves.

Finally, in the last week of October, Aria had Hanna were forced to deal with each other when they both got slammed with detention. Ironically they were both late to the same in class in hopes of avoiding having to sit by the other. Now, it was after school on a Tuesday afternoon, and the two girls were sitting alone in Mr. Haye's classroom. The man was in his late forties and taught political science - and he did not appreciate when students were tardy. The girls were given the task of writing an essay on what they'd done wrong, but so far the only thing Aria had accomplished was jotting down her name on a piece of paper and Hanna...well, Hanna had managed to build a small house with a stack of cards she'd found stashed away in a drawer of Mr. Haye's desk.

"This reminds me of _The Breakfast Club." _Hanna piped up.

It was the first time either girl had said a word to each other in weeks, and the surprise of it caused Aria's head to shoot up so fast she knew she would probably suffer from nerve damage in her neck later on. "What?"

Hanna picked up the King card and started bending it. "The situation we're in. We have detention. We're not doing our essays and our teacher is the like the principal guy, Richard. I'm Claire and you're..uh..the other chick."

"Allison." The corners of Aria's lips threatened to twitch up into a smile and she quickly lowered her eyes. "You shouldn't be doing that."

Hanna lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "What else am I supposed to do, my essay?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Do I look like Spencer to you?"

Aria rolled her eyes and rose to her feet. "You're going to get another detention, Hanna."

"How tragic," Hanna murmured dryly. "My social life will really crumble, because it's _clearly _at the top of its peak right now."

Aria headed towards the back of the classroom, where all the textbooks were located. The textbooks were covered in dust like they hadn't been picked up in years. There was a pile of pencil shavings next to a globe perched on a shelf in front of her, and the globe reminded Aria of the one she had at home. When things got too rough, she'd spin the globe in a circle and stop it randomly, with the promise to herself that she would go to whichever country her hand had landed on. She shut her eyes, inhaling the scent of dust and pencil shavings. "I broke up with Ezra." The words were out of her mouth before she knew she'd said them. Silence. She had expected Hanna to freak out, to yell and scream and demand that she'd made a mistake. Only Hanna said nothing.

"Hanna?" Aria turned around. Hanna had a card in her hand and it was poised above the house of cards she'd built. Her left hand was flat against Mr. Haye's desk and she was quiet, her blue eyes round. Aria took a step closer to her friend. It looked like she was in shock. "...Hanna?"

Hanna ran her tongue across the back of her teeth and lowered her arm to her side. She didn't know what to say. What was she supposed to say, that she was _sorry_ to hear about the breakup? Except that would be a lie. And Hanna was sick of telling lies, of keeping secrets. "I...don't know what to say."

Aria squeezed her thighs with her hands and whipped back around, her eyes immediately falling on the globe. "You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know."

"Have you told Spencer and Emily?" Hanna's voice sounded strangled.

"Not yet."

"Why did you tell me first? Aren't you and Spencer close-knit?" This time Hanna sounded bitter. Almost like she was..._jealous._

Aria opened her mouth. "I..." _Why did I tell Hanna first? _"I just did. We broke up last week."

Hanna hummed in response and continued to work on her stack of cards.

Aria sighed. Why were things so tense between them? Okay, so they'd almost kissed, but that was the thing...they hadn't kissed. So why were they both acting childish? Aria's arm shot out and she spun the globe, her eyes fluttering shut. She could hear the ticking clock above Hanna's head. She still had her eyes closed when she felt a pair of arms slip around her waist and Aria subconsciously leaned back into them.

"I'm sorry you're hurting," Hanna's whispered voice was in Aria's ear, and her warm breath made Aria shudder. "But I'm not sorry that you broke up with him."

Aria's eyes remained shut. Hanna's voice in her ear was driving her crazy and she felt like at any given moment, her knees would give out. "Y-You're not?"

Hanna's hands floated up Aria's sides and a ghost of a smile formed on her lips. "No."

Aria caught Hanna's hands around her midsection and laced their fingers together. Her mind was racing and her heart was thumping. Blood pulsed through her veins. "And aren't you?"

Hanna rested her chin on Aria's shoulder. "You deserve better, that's why."

Aria squirmed around in Hanna's arms and turned around so they were face to face. "Honest?"

Hanna nodded. "Honest."

Aria grinned up at her friend. Hanna's eyes looked incredibly blue, and Aria found herself glancing at Hanna's lips. "Thanks."

Hanna took a deep breath and cupped Aria's face between her hands. She was just about to kiss her when the door to the classroom flew open and the girl bolted apart, looking guilty.

Spencer stood in the doorway with a field hockey stick in one hand and a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. Her tank top stuck to her body and she looked sweaty. "Uh, you guys do you realize that your detention ended a half hour ago, right? Emily and I have been waiting for -" Spencer stopped mid-sentence and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What's going on?'

Hanna sniffed and combed her fingers through her hair. "Nothing, why?"

"It doesn't look like nothing to me."

"Well, no one asked you to decipher anything, now did they?"

Hanna calmly strolled out of the classroom, muttering a "I'll see you later, Aria" and a "Have fun with Em, Spencer" on her way out. The door shut behind her and Aria and Spencer were left alone.

"Aria?"

Aria smiled weakly at Spencer. "What?"

"_What _is going on with you and Hanna?"

Aria huffed and rolled back at her shoulders. "_Nothing _is going on with us." _Right? _"What's going on with you and Emily?"

Spencer froze, her body suddenly stiffening. "Nothing. I have to go." And with that, Spencer swiveled around and walked out, leaving Aria by herself.

Aria sighed and leaned back against a bookshelf.

"Almost..."

_I thought that love could never touch me_

_Yeah, I was ridin' high_

_And then my ivory tower toppled_

_And I tumbled from the sky_

_I got the feelin' that I'm fallin'_

_And you're the reason why_

* * *

Aria woke up at midnight that night, drenched in sweat. Her brunette hair clung to her forehead, and her heart was pounding in her chest. She'd had a nightmare that Hanna just..._left _her. Left Rosewood. She'd packed up and left without another word, and that _terrified _Aria more than anything. More than A. It made her heart ache more than her breakup with Ezra had. The thought of Hanna not being in her life made her feel sick to her stomach. It made her feel small and weak. She realized, as she was getting out of bed and stuffing her feet into slippers that didn't even match, that she _needed _Hanna. While she was in Iceland, Aria had thought about Hanna the most. Sure, she wondered about Spencer and Emily (and Alison), but Hanna crossed her mind the most. She now realized why:

Aria Montgomery was completely in love with Hanna Marin. And it was the greatest feeling in the world.

Aria shrugged into a sweater she'd grabbed off the back of her computer chair, snatched up her purse and thundered down the steps. She scooped her car keys out of the bowl near the front door, slipped out into the night and hopped into her car. With a twist of the keys, the car came to live and Aria gunned it to the one place she needed to be at.

_Like a life that she married for_

_Like the walls of Jericho_

_Like Delilah's holy town_

_And Samson tore it down_

Aria parked crookedly in Hanna's driveway (and narrowly avoided colliding with Hanna's car) and shut off the engine. She unbuckled her seatbelt and made a dash for the front door. Aria bent down and retrieved the key from a ceramic frog hidden inside a plant near the Marin's door. She stuck the key into the lock but then froze. What was she doing? This was crazy. There was no way Hanna felt the same way. Aria would only get her heart broken. But...she had a right to know. Aria scuttled inside the Marin household. It was dark and quiet. And rightfully so - it was late. Aria tiptoed up to Hanna's room and slithered inside.

Hanna was lying in her bed, her blond hair splashed out in a thousand directions across her pillows. Her sheets were twisted around her tightly, like she'd been sleeping futilely, plagued by her own nightmare. She looked..._beautiful. _Aria set her purse down and quietly climbed onto bed with Hanna. She straddled her waist and Hanna's eyes sprung open. She opened her mouth to scream, but Aria's hand flew to cover her mouth.

"It's j-just me."

Hanna's face clouded with confusion but then she slowly relaxed. She tried to shove Aria away, but Aria was strong for someone of her size. Aria removed her hand from Hanna's mouth. "I-I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Aria, what the hell are you doing? Do you know how late it is What's going on?" Hanna didn't sound pissed; she sounded worried.

Aria swallowed. It was now or never. "I-I think I'm in love with you," she blurted out.

Hanna's jaw dropped. Had she heard her correctly? "..You're what?"

"I- I love you, Hanna. I have for a long time. I just didn't realize it until now, but I do. I love your smile, your hair, your eyes, your laugh; everything. I can't get enough of you. I love every moment we spend together. When I didn't see you during those weeks, I felt empty and dull. Sometimes when I see you, I can't breathe or think. Sometimes when I hear your voice, my heart leaps into my throat." Aria was rambling, the words pouring out of her mouth, but she just couldn't shut up. "Sometimes I imagine the two of us together, like this, but we're cuddled up next to each and you're whispering in my ear, and my insides are melting, and I-"

Hanna cut her off by crashing their lips together. Aria's lips were soft and she tasted like some fruity lipgloss Hanna couldn't name. She felt Aria kiss her back, felt a hand slide behind her head and Hanna hooked a leg around Aria's waist to bring her closer. Their lips fit together perfectly, and when Aria nipped at Hanna's bottom lip with her teeth, Hanna felt electrified. A surge of electricity shot through her body. Aria's hands glided under Hanna's pajama top and both girls shivered. Hanna slipped her tongue into Aria's mouth and allowed their tongues to battle for dominance. She didn't think anyone could ever make her feel this way again. Kissing Aria felt a million times better than kissing Caleb ever did.

When the girls couldn't ignore the need for air anymore, they pulled apart, panting. Aria's goofy smile matched Hanna's and they rested their foreheads together.

"Aria?"

"Mmm?"

Hanna twisted a lock of Aria's dark hair around a finger. "What took you so long?"

_I thought that love could never touch me_

_Yeah, I was ridin' high_

_And then my ivory tower toppled_

_And I tumbled from the sky_

_I got the feelin' that I'm fallin'_

_And you're the reason why_

* * *

Please leave reviews! I'm not sure how Connie Francis's song ("Fallin'") fits with this, but I decided to give it a go.

What did you guys think? :P The Spemily hints were for any Spemily fans out there.

I will be updating my other stories ASAP. Again, work and school are bitches.

3


End file.
